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Outback Jack

Water and Cooling Systems: The skinny on what's good and bad.

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Hey Guys,

Just doing a bit on Water for cooling systems and will look at Corrosion inhibitors and coolant a bit.

 

Let's start with water.....

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Now there are 3 main areas of Water to look at:

1) Softness and Hardness

2) PH and it's effects on metals.

3) Rain water VS Distilled water VS R.O. water VS Tap water.

 

Softness and Hardness:

These are terms used to describe the mineral content or Total Dissolved Solids in a water source.

The softer the water the less dissolved solids are in it.

The harder the water the more dissolved solids it has.

This can be measured in two ways...

 

TDS or E.C.

Total dissolved solids or electromagnetic current.

 

P.P.M.

Parts Per Million.

 

For this write up I will be using P.P.M.

 

 

PH OF WATER and effects on metals.

 

PH measures whether the water is Acidic , Neutral or Alkaline.

 

The lower the PH, the more Acidic the water is. (PH.4- very acidic)

 

The higher the PH, the more Alkaline the water is. (PH.10-very alkaline)

 

Neutral PH is around 7.

 

Acidic water will eat into metals and Alkaline water will leave scale and mineral build up if the PPM is high.

 

Tap water is usually around PH.8-9, so it does not eat away metal pipes.

Slightly Alkaline.

 

In a motor there are all sorts of metals that interact with each other.

Alloys, steel, brass, copper etc, etc.

 

Usually in an Acidic PH state in a motor Aluminum and Alloys will act like a sacrificial anode and be the first to be corroded away. Steel will rust and brass and copper will degrade.

 

In an Alkaline PH state in a motor again Alloys and Aluminum are affected first and calcium and other minerals will fall out of suspension and bond with metals causing white scale build up.

Usually see this if you use tap water in your motor.

 

Ok, now you understand about Dissolved Solids measured in P.P.M and PH levels let's look at the different waters.

 

 

TAP WATER-

 

P.P.M. 200-300+

(World health standard for drinking water is MAX of P.P.M. 500.)

PH- 8 to 9.

 

So tap water is high in dissolved solids and mildly Alkaline to prevent pipe corrosion.

Considered Mild to Hard water depending on PPM level.

The PH will be pretty constant but P.P.M will vary depending on source.

 

 

RAIN WATER-

 

P.P.M- low and varied dependant on collection method.

PH. - can also vary greatly dependant on collection method.

 

Considered Soft water as rainwater is evaporated ocean salt water and most solids are left behind.

Acidity/Alkalinity varies.

 

 

DISTILLED WATER-

 

P.P.M.- between 100-200.

PH. - usually around 7-8.

 

Is considered soft water as has low PPM and also is close to PH neutral.

 

R.O. WATER (reverse osmosis).-

P.P.M. - between 20-30 PPM.

PH. - usually around 7-8.

 

Is considered very soft water and is also very close to PH neutral.

 

 

CHOOSING WATER FOR USE IN MOTORS.

 

Now, based on all that information you will find you want a water that is low in dissolved solids and pretty PH neutral.

 

TAP water is too high in dissolved solids and PH is also too high.

Alkalinity high and pH high will cause scale and mineral build up.

If goes acidic, will eat metal.

Bad choice.

 

RAIN water is good as it is low in dissolved solids but PH can vary.

Soft enough but PH can be unknown.

 

Not consistent enough.

 

 

DISTILLED water is great as has low amount of dissolved solids and pretty PH neutral.

 

Good choice for use with Corrosion inhibitor concentrate or to mix with coolant concentrate.

Can be purchased from Supermarkets.

 

 

R.O. water (reverse osmosis) is the best with P.P.M. of only 20-30 and a neutral P.H.- to slightly Alkaline.

Also strips water of chlorine, impurities.

 

Best choice for use with Corrosion Inhibitor concentrate or Premix Coolant concentrates.

Need access to R.O. water filter or buy a set up.(around $80 inc filters).

 66cf05cac8db1cd87755768ca5555a76.jpg

 

Both Distilled water and R.O. water can be used alone in the cooling system but I would advise using at least a corrosion inhibitor as extra insurance.

Type B:

 021693897ec2aa0f4632bd9afea24a3b.jpg

 

Corrosion Inhibitors come in 2 types.

 

Type B - Corrosion inhibitor ONLY.

 

Type A - Corrosion inhibitor and Coolant or Antifreeze/Antiboil.

 

Early Falcons use only Corrosion inhibitor and no coolant or anti freeze/anti boil.

Really only needed in extreme heat or extreme cold.

 

The use of coolant on the 4L sohc for example may lead to too lower temp reading and possibly affect the E.C.T. sensor. Causing them to run rich.

The gauge may also be affected and read low.

Thermostat for these motors should be 91C as they came out with.....

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Can use anywhere from 87-93C.

I recommend Motorad thermostats....

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Very similar to Factory except has air bleed or "rattler", and factory thermostat does not.

 

Do Not use thermostats that have been drilled and touted as "performance" thermostats. These will lower the operating temp slightly, but enough for the ecu to read the temp as cooler and richen the Air Fuel Ratio and may even prevent/hamper Lean cruise mode.

 

Motors like Clevos , Crossys , 4L sohc and Windsors only really need Corrosion Inhibitor and distilled or R.O. water.

 

Coolant or AntiFreeze/AntiBoil really only needs to be used in extreme situations or with performance applications.

OR if required by motor specs.

Coolants are typically glycol mixed with water and dye added.

(Glycol is actually clear.)

The new generation of coolants are water free but require a special flushing agent be used before using the coolant.

As there is no water in the mix, there is little to no corrosion.

Evans Waterless coolants.

 

 Most cooling system problems can be fixed with proper radiator shrouds, correct thermostat and fan system.

Coolant really shouldn't be used to fix an inefficient system.

 

Hope this helps some people and explains why you don't use tap water in your cooling system.

 

FORD ON!

 

Outback Jack.

 

That what you were after@SPArKy_Dave ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Very good article!

Hopefully one of the new admins can sticky this thread, to the top!

 

The factory Ford OHC thermostats were made in England by a company called WaxStat

They were 92 degrees, and had jiggle siphons fitted.

ART92G is the part number.

 

Current OEM Ford ART92G thermostats are 91 degrees, and do not have the bleed hole/jiggle siphon.

They aren't the made in England ones anymore, I don't believe?

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Great info Jack, next radiator fill will be with rainwater

I've noticed that Ethylene Glycol (the toxic one) was set to be phased out with Proplylene Glycol (non-toxic) probably 20 years ago, at least in heavy diesel applications for liner cavitation, long-life and environmental reasons. PG is actually used as a food additive and in cosmetics, such is its low-toxicity nature.

PG is a long-life coolant with 5 years being pretty standard. Back then, EG lasted only 2 years.

Somehow now, the manufacturers have swung back to Ethylene Glycol and have made it into a 5-year coolant, yet the toxicity remains. Perhaps PG is too expensive? I hate to think what kind of environmental hazards are presented with an EG spill vs PG (pretty benign in comparison)

They are definitely incompatible (hence the pink dye added to the concentrate) and there are catastrophic consequences for mixing the two. Like your coolant turning to jelly.

But there isn't an industry standard for coolant colours and types, which further confuses the issue. For PG, I have seen blue, purple, punk and red. For EG, the majority are green/yellow but Toyota are set on having red despite it resembling many generic PG types.

I would say Proplylene is a superior coolant in every way, but back in the early 2000s, a complete fill of a car would cost probably $150 with premix. Maybe though, the higher cost and incompatibility with EG have pushed it purely into the industrial market?

That scenario is sort of like DOT 4 and DOT 5 brake fluids. 4 is a glycol based fluid, and 5 is silicone. To the uninformed, these could be easily mixed up yet they are highly incompatible. You hardly ever see DOT 5 except in racing cars.

Sent from my CPH1920 using Tapatalk

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Great info Jack, next radiator fill will be with rainwater

I've noticed that Ethylene Glycol (the toxic one) was set to be phased out with Proplylene Glycol (non-toxic) probably 20 years ago, at least in heavy diesel applications for liner cavitation, long-life and environmental reasons. PG is actually used as a food additive and in cosmetics, such is its low-toxicity nature.

PG is a long-life coolant with 5 years being pretty standard. Back then, EG lasted only 2 years.

Somehow now, the manufacturers have swung back to Ethylene Glycol and have made it into a 5-year coolant, yet the toxicity remains. Perhaps PG is too expensive? I hate to think what kind of environmental hazards are presented with an EG spill vs PG (pretty benign in comparison)

They are definitely incompatible (hence the pink dye added to the concentrate) and there are catastrophic consequences for mixing the two. Like your coolant turning to jelly.

But there isn't an industry standard for coolant colours and types, which further confuses the issue. For PG, I have seen blue, purple, punk and red. For EG, the majority are green/yellow but Toyota are set on having red despite it resembling many generic PG types.

I would say Proplylene is a superior coolant in every way, but back in the early 2000s, a complete fill of a car would cost probably $150 with premix. Maybe though, the higher cost and incompatibility with EG have pushed it purely into the industrial market?

That scenario is sort of like DOT 4 and DOT 5 brake fluids. 4 is a glycol based fluid, and 5 is silicone. To the uninformed, these could be easily mixed up yet they are highly incompatible. You hardly ever see DOT 5 except in racing cars.

Sent from my CPH1920 using Tapatalk


Hey Gerg,
Yeah, if you can just test the PH of the rainwater. Can use a pool test kit or strips, anything that measures PH.
Just to make sure the PH is not too far out of whack.
Let us know how you go. :)

Sent from my S21 using Tapatalk

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In regards to the Ph of Cloud juice (Rainwater) i reckon it must be on the alkaline side.

Im on acreage and dont have mains water ,just rainwater from tanks(about 140,000 Litres) when full.

When i put lots of it into the pool, i always have to put Hydrochloric Acid in the pool to  bring the Ph back up.

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